Improvement in key-fasteners



.7 M MUNN KEY-FAS'TEN'ER.

Patented Feb. 6,1877.

INVENT R:

UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE JAMES M. MUNN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN KEV-FASTENERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 187,166. dated February6, 1877 application filed January 17, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES M. MUNN, ofChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Key-Fasteners; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of keyfasteners in which a slotteddrop-plate is provided with a device to prevent its being moved back offfrom the key; and the nature of my invention consists in a hook pivotedto the drop-plate, and provided with a projecting thumb-piece forraising the hook, and with two downward-projecting lips to act as stopsagainst a pin on the drop-plate for limiting the movement of the book,all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, whichforms a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is aperspective view of my improved key-fastener. Fig. 2 is a front view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a detailed view thereof, and Fig. 4 shows amodification of the construction of the hook.

A represents the ordinary escutcheon for door-locks, having key-hole a.B is the dropplate, pivoted at its upper end, either to the escntcheonA, or to the door above the escutcheon. In this drop-plate is a curvedslot, b, extending from one edge inward for a suitable distance, saidslot to embrace a flattened or angular portion of the key D, turnedsidewise within the lock. Back of the inner end of the slot 12, to thedrop-plate B, is pivoted a dog or pawl, 0, provided at its outer endwith a hook, c, which falls over the flattened portion of the key, andthus prevents the drop-plate from being pushed back from the outside,while said plate prevents the key from being turned by any nippers orother instrument. The dog or hook O is, in its lower edge, below thepivot, provided with two projecting lips or teats, d d, and between saidlips is a pin, 5, projecting from the drop-plate. This pin and lips formstops to limit the movement of the dog or hook C, so that it will alwaysbe in position for work and cannot get out of order. .By its own gravitythe hook 0 falls, so that the lip d will be against the pin 2', and thefront beveled or inclined end of the book will be in the same plane asthe slot 1), so that when the plate B drops down, said inclined end willstrike the key-shank, and the hook rise and pass over the'key, and afterpassing over the key it falls of its own weight again. 'The lip d,coming in contact with the pin 7 pro-N vents the book from being raisedtoo far, but only sufficient to clear the key in pushing the plate toone side. The dog or hook O is further provided with a thumb-piece, h,which may be formed at its inner end, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, orit maybe formed at the outer end, as shown in Fig. 4.

The entire dog or hook can be easily stamped out by suitable dies of asingle piece, and the entire key-fastener may be made of any suitablematerial, and either plain or more or less ornamented, as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- In a key-fastener, the dog 0,provided with the book 0, lips (Z d, and thumb-piece h, all formed ofone piece, in combination with the pivoted drop-plate B, provided withthe slot 1) and pin 2', substantially as and for the purposes herein setforth.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 28th day ofDecember, 1876.

JAMES M. MUNN.

Witnesses:

H. A. PLIMPToN, B. M. MUNN.

